Mother of man who drowned in St. Thomas calls for life-jacket loan program

Linda King says she believes the drowning death of her son Ryan Davies in a St. Thomas lake signals a clear and dire need for action.

Davies, 26, drowned when a canoe he was in with two other people capsized on Lake Margaret. At the time, none of the passengers were wearing life-jackets, his mother said.

To prevent others from drowning and make sure her son's spirit lives on, King started a movement that's quickly gaining traction to introduce a life-jacket loaning program at two prominent bodies of water in Elgin County.

"Whenever a tragedy struck, [Ryan] would always be the first person to lend a hand or try to help," King said. "If I can save one other person from drowning by sharing Ryan's story, then it's worth it."

She launched an online petition on Change.org urging local policymakers to implement a program that allows people who visit Port Stanley's main beach and Lake Margaret in St. Thomas, to borrow life-jackets free of charge.

Once the petition is complete, King plans to take the results to the mayors and councils of both municipalities to push for change.

King said the inspiration struck after she joined the Elgin County Drowning Prevention Coalition in the wake of her son's death. Members of the coalition told her about a life-jacket loaner program that previously ran in Port Stanley, she said.

"I said, it would be great if we can get something like this up and running again, and expand it," King said.

She points to a model in use by the Lifesaving Society, which consists of kiosks that include information about flotation devices and life-jackets visitors are free to take, provided they're returned.

At an estimated price tag of $4,500 per kiosk, plus maintenance costs, King said she believes it's quite doable.

King said her family owns a boat and has life-jackets, but the three canoeists, including Davies, weren't wearing them the day he died.

"I'm certainly not blaming anyone. I know a lot of people go out on Lake Margaret. They don't think much about how deep it is," she said. "I think even just seeing life-jackets may raise, 'Oh, shoot. I better wear one. It's right here.'"

Other Ontario municipalities like Saugeen Shores currently have life-jacket loaner programs in place. Similar programs  are also running in 70 of Ontario's provincial parks.

It's an initiative that King points out is backed by data. A 2021 report commissioned by Transport Canada found that between 2008 to 2017, 89 per cent of drowning fatalities happened to people who were not wearing life-jackets.

"I'm urging people to, if they care about water safety, sign the petition. Talk to their local MP about a loaner program where they live as well. Wherever people live, there should be life-jackets available," King said.

On top of the potential for a life-jacket loaner program to prevent deaths, King said she hopes to see momentum pick up in the form of advocacy for more signage that explains the risks associated with aquatic sports and recreation, and more direct education that outlines those risks.

"For example, even wearing heavy clothing can be dangerous. My son was ... wearing heavy clothing, and I think that's part of the reason he drowned as well," King said. "People always say they never thought of that — that heavy clothing can really weigh you down."

Since it was posted on Jan. 9, the petition had received close to 250 signatures as of Monday afternoon, with more expected as awareness of King's call to action increases.

She said she's hoping to see the support that poured in for her family following her son's death mirrored as support for the movement that's been created in his memory.

King described her son as a kind, lighthearted person, who loved hockey, lacrosse, hunting and fishing. He was roughly one year away from becoming a journeyman plumber and was always the first to lend a hand to those in need.

"It was standing room only at Ryan's celebration of life. We had so many people show up. I knew he was liked, but that room was just filled with love," King said.

"He was the best son anyone could ask for."